Hooded Merganser can be found around the coastal salt marshes each summer. There are inlets everywhere so there’s a good chance you can find them. They are also quick to leave when they spot you.
The Shem Creek inlets around the shrimp boat piers are my go to place to photograph these birds. They will swim around the creeks, slip by piers and sit near any boat boardwalks. Patience is the key.
Ellen down at a commercial shrimp boat pier. We had two different camera systems in use that day.
I see one of the Canon L lenses in her hand. Long before OM Systems started building a white lens Canon had their pro series L lenses in an off white color.
This was a bright hot day and I decided to try an OM antique filter for the first time. I found a folder of images that had never been touched. This was one of them.
Spec; OM-1 (1), OM 12-200. Using one of the OM color filters in jpg format.
Found on a walk, on a fishing pier.
Tuning a guitar among the shrimp boats.
Specs; OM-1 mk2, Leica 100-400. Finished with ON1, DxO Filmpack.
Too many swamp shots lately, I needed to mix it up a bit. The most opposite environment to photograph here is the shore, and everyone’s favorite the Pelicans.
This series also seemed like a good place to work in a new editor for image processing. For probably close to two years I have tried various different software to use as a backup to the usual Adobe Lightroom industry standard.
This series was done using ON1 and Topaz. As an editor ON1 has the ability to work with just about any RAW format as well as any other image file format. That’s a requirement for me. I like to use other systems as plugins. Lightroom always has interfaced with most other systems, ON1 does too. Most RAW editors don’t. Theres a reason Adobe owns the market. I love Lightroom, I just get frustrated with how sluggish it gets. ON1 is certainly not slow.
Nerd stuff aside; Brown Pelicans breed on the small barrier islands off the coast of the Lowcountry. They are one of the smaller Pelicans, but also one of only two that catch fish by diving from above.
Brown Pelicans off the Stono River inlet, South Carolina.
She dropped down from the nest so easy and casual I was completely unprepared. I should have caught a nice long series.
Missed the jump and had only two decent images. 😂
Roseate Spoonbills, visitors at the local swamp rookery.
This is new, and the first time they have stayed around. This swamp is not Spoonbill friendly. The big ponds are too deep for them to feed, the smaller ones dark and weed covered.
Just the other side of the property are their usual feeding places. Shallow open marshes are what they need.
Still it’s nice to see them hanging around.
I tried to blend into the surroundings, make no noise. These birds were walking right by the car. We spotted them, did our best to make minimal sounds (never works when you try), and shot between the tall grass as the wandered around.
I doubt they gave us a single thought.
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There’s no way this Alligator could have avoided the weeds. The waters surface is almost solid.
It’s like something was poured over him, head to tail.
